August absolutely flew by. For the first third of the month, Mrs. Sip and I were mostly kid-free and got up to some fun, including visiting friends in Calgary. Over the second half, we were busy with the Siplings, cramming in as many summer activities as we could handle. Here’s what we got up to:

We began August with flying to Calgary for the long weekend, invited by friends to stay at their place. Prior to leaving Vancouver, we shared a snack at the Whistler Taphouse & Grill at the Vancouver Airport. Their Poutine with Pulled Pork was a really good little dish, paired with a Hazy IPA.

Our first destination in Calgary was to go up the Calgary Tower and dine at the Sky 360 restaurant, which offers free tower entry with a reservation. To eat, I had the Crispy Chicken Sandwich and washed it down with a delicious Cherry Bourbon Cola Smash (bourbon, cherry brandy, ginger beer, cola, lime juice).

Next up, we met with our hosts at the Major Tom Bar, complete with a 40^th floor view of the city. We were there during their ‘Golden Hour’, so took advantage by selecting the Major Tom Collins 3.0 (Beefeater Gin, lemon oil, citrus vanilla, salt) which was only $5 during this time. I followed that with the Synthwave (Appleton Rum, Blackpool Spiced Rum, tonka bean, tamarind, sarsaparilla, sherry, lime), as the ingredients sounded so interesting.

We continued our crawl of the amazing downtown bar scene by popping into Sound Room. This is a taproom for Ol’ Beautiful Brewing, which burned down in June 2024, although there are plans to rebuild at the original location. Mrs. Sip and I ordered the Okami Kasu Japanese Ale and Brass Monkey Blood Orange Blonde, sharing both.

From there, we moved onto Proof Cocktail Bar, which was has a 4-7pm happy hour. I selected the Manhattan, a former favourite beverage of mine that I hadn’t had in some time. This was followed by Shelter Cocktail Bar, where I tried the Orange & Sesame (Johnnie Walker Black, sesame, black cardamom, orange, CO²), while Mrs. Sip went with the Who the Fuck is Polina? (Flor de Cana 12yr Rum, pineapple rum, banana, cherry, house falernum, lime, grapefruit, tiki bitters).

We wrapped up our night with a stop into 33 Acres Brewing. We love the Vancouver location and didn’t know they had branched out to Calgary. I ordered a 24 oz serving of the Fluffy Cloud IPA, but they were out of that size of glass, so they gave me two 16 oz servings, meaning I got an extra eight ounces for free!

The next day, we had planned a bike beer crawl, hitting five different locations in the Calgary heat. Here’s how our trek played out with first beer being what I ordered, followed by Mrs. Sip’s brew choice:

• Annex Ale Project – Lorem Ipsum Amber Ale; Water Wings Mango Ale
• Cold Garden Brewing – Red Smashed in Buffalo Jump; Pinky Promise Cherry Hibiscus Sour
• Good Cheer Brewing – 980 Raol (raw ale); 1956 Abbey-Style Tripel (also had an Icelandic Hot Dog (Pylsa) here to refuel)
• Cabin Brewing – All That Glitter IPK; Summer Saturation Tropical Hazy
• Prairie Dog Brewing – Cloud Alby NEIPA with Fallentimber Honey shared with Mrs. Sip (we also tried the Pork Belly Burnt Ends at this stop and I got to see their smoker, which is the largest indoor BBQ pit in Canada)

All these locations were within an area known as the Barley Belt and we could have visited even more, if we chose to do so. Each place offered a unique experience and made me pine for some of the beer regions we used to frequent when living in Downtown Vancouver.

With one more day left in our visit, you’d think we’d sit back and relax a little, but instead we were off to see other breweries, outside the Barley Belt offerings. We had lunch at Wild Rose Brewery, where I paired the White Shadow White IPA with Teriyaki Chicken Wings.

Then, we were off to The Establishment Brewing, which we tried to get to the day before, but they closed early. I had the Sky Rocket Hazy IPA, while Mrs. Sip elected to try the Museum of Flight. We both enjoyed the Jam Rock from Mrs. Sip’s collection of samples.

Our final stop of the journey was Bitter Sisters Brewing, where we surprised the Siplings, who just happened to be in Calgary with Ma and Pa Sip. It was fun to just sit at the table where they had been seated. Boy Sip kept asking if he was dreaming! My meal here consisted of the Pork Dumplings and Blueberry Blonde Bombshell Ale.

Overall, I was very impressed by Calgary’s vibrant beer and cocktail scene, with many top notch options existing all around the city. While we got to a wild number of places, among our hosts favourites, I’m certain we only scratched the surface of what the area offers.

Upon returning home and looking to take advantage of our kid-free time, we attended trivia for the first time at the Notorious Grey Fox. This is my kind of place, as they were playing classic WWF wrestling and old He-Man cartoons on the TVs. Over the course of the evening, Mrs. Sip and I shared the Nashville Hot Chicken Bites, which I really enjoyed, while I also had the Happy Flatbread, a Philly Cheesesteak creation on this occasion. To drink, I went with a pair of Boombox Juicy AF Hazy IPAs. The trivia itself was tough but fun, hosted by local comedian Justin Nichol.

With the Siplings back at home, it was time to squeeze in some local summer favourites. That started with attending a BC Lions football game. Mrs. Sip and I haven’t been to a match in many years and the Siplings have never attended, so we took advantage of the First Game On Us program, which gives free tickets to folks who want to check out a game. While at the stadium, I did enjoy a Stanley Park Trail Hopper IPA.

A couple days later, we spent a day at the PNE/Playland, in part to celebrate our 14^th wedding anniversary. I only had one drink over our stay, a can of Parallel 49 Trash Panda Hazy IPA. My dinner was extraordinary, as I grabbed some Bulgogi Beef Dirty Fries from the Mahshik food truck, remembering a similar dish I had enjoyed at Glow Langley around Christmas. The meal was fantastic again, a generous serving for only $16. In the future, we will likely try to separate our PNE and Playland experiences, as combining the two makes for an expensive day and makes it difficult to get your full value, as you try to cram as much as you can into the visit, losing focus on parts of each attraction.

Last week, the Sip Family tried some of the McDonald’s World Menu Heist items. Mrs. Sip and I both found the Garlic and Black Pepper Chicken McNuggets disappointing, preferring the classic McNuggets recipe. The Black Garlic sauce was good, though. We also all shared the Stroopwafel McFlurry. By share, I mean I had a single bite, but that nibble was quite enjoyable.

To wrap the month, we got together with a visiting friend, hitting two locations in the White Rock area. First up was White Rock Beach Beer, where I had hoped to try the Five Corners Cream Ale, but they were out of the brew, so settled for the Pier IPA. Following that, we went to the neighbouring Beer Shack, my first visit here since Three Dogs Brewing left the site. Mrs. Sip ordered the Hoyne Entre Nous Belgian Cherry Witbier, while I had a mere couple sips, as the designated driver.

September, being a big family birthday month, is loaded with potential activities. We will also spend the Labour Day long weekend at Ma and Pa Sip’s place in Tobiano, so there is much fun to be had on the horizon!